On October 14, the Investigation Police Agency of Hoa Binh Province Police initiated a case, issued an arrest warrant and temporary detention order for Nguyen Quyet Thang - Principal of Ky Son High School for the crime of abusing position and power to appropriate property as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 355 of the Penal Code.
According to the police, this is a typical case of overcharging in schools.
For a long time, the press and public opinion have voiced their opposition to the problem of overcharging in schools, but this "disease" has not abated, but has become increasingly serious. Many schools have tried to avoid responsibility by pushing it onto the parent-teacher association, in the name of the parent association, to collect money, and then pay it to the school.
Many schools use that money for teaching and learning, but many schools are not transparent about money, causing frustration among parents and leaving a bad reputation for the school.
The only way to keep schools from having to deal with parents' money is to not collect money in a campaign-style manner, under the guise of parent-teacher associations. This "petty" money is eroding the community's trust in the education sector. Students pay for their education, and the education sector must take care of their education.
Socializing education does not mean allowing public schools to raise money for teaching and learning in schools outside of the regulations of the education sector. Therefore, taking advantage of socialization to collect money is illegal collection. This must be said very clearly.
Of course, it is commendable and respectful for individuals and organizations to voluntarily contribute and sponsor the construction of schools, and to provide financial support to kindergartens, high schools, and universities for teaching and learning. In developed countries, there are often such generous donors. For example, last March, Ms. Ruth L. Gottesman - former lecturer of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine (USA) - donated 1 billion USD (24,000 billion VND) to help students get free tuition.
Sponsorship is sponsorship, not collecting money and claiming that it is socialization, for the cause of education.
Returning to the case of the Principal of Ky Son High School being prosecuted and temporarily detained, it shows that overcharging in schools can be a criminal offense, and school leaders must take that as an example.
